


Brothers From Another Mother

by Barbara_Lazuli



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 17:46:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17729840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbara_Lazuli/pseuds/Barbara_Lazuli
Summary: "I think your mom is gay for my mom," Zack blurts out.Billy's spine straightens, eyes no longer focused on the rocks on his table. Zack can now feel that steady gaze on him. "Um.""And I think my mom is gay for your mom, too."Billy glances for a moment at his rock collection before looking at Zack again. He's pouting. "Does this mean you didn't come here to check out my collection?"Zack gives an apologetic smile. "Sorry, bro."The rangers are a family, that much is true. Zack may not be as close to Billy as he is with, say, Trini, but he considers him family, too. They have nothing in common, but he'd die for Billy the same way he did for them.They're teammates. Family.Brothers.Whatever the context may be.





	Brothers From Another Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> such an out of nowhere ship, I knowwwww but trust me
> 
> the research i did for Mei's sickness here was super minimal btw i apologize for the inaccuracies. this story isnt about that anyway.

Zack takes deep breaths. He can do this. The scrapes on his knees tell him otherwise, but what do they know?

He runs to the wall, uses the momentum to take two vertical steps before he pushes against it. There's this wonderful feeling of adrenaline when the world spins around him as he flips, and an even more wonderful feeling when he lands safely on his feet for the first time.

And it only took him six tries. Nice.

"And the crowd goes wiiild," Zack hiss-shouts as he runs around, throwing kisses to an imaginary audience. "Zack Taylor gets three tens for that!"

The sound of a pair of hands clapping catches the thirteen-year-old's attention. He abruptly stops, tilts his head at a small boy looking at him with stars in his eyes. Zack looks around at the mostly empty school parking lot. He thought he was the only one left.

"That was cool!" the boy says. He looks familiar, but Zack can't quite put his finger on why.

He grins, puffs his chest out a little bit. "I know. But thanks. I'm Zack."

"Okay."

Zack blinks. "And you are..?"

"Oh! We're doing introductions. Then, I'm Billy."

Recognition dawns on Zack. "Billy _Cramston_!" Billy's smile disappears at the name, but Zack is oblivious to the reaction. "Nice to finally meet you, dude. You're pretty popular, you know."

Billy fidgets with his hands, not quite looking at Zack. "Popular means a lot of kids like you," he says to the ground, his brows furrowed. He tells Zack matter-of-factly, "I don't think you understand what 'popular' means."

Zack frowns. "Huh?"

A silver van drives into the lot then. Judging by the fact that Billy is slinging on his bag, it must be his ride. A woman with a smile just like Billy's comes out of the van.

"You're ten minutes late, Mom," Billy says with a pout. "And thirty-two seconds."

Billy's mother crouches so that she's level with him. "Sorry, baby. Will you forgive me if we go get ice cream after the appointment?"

Billy shrugs. "We could just not go."

"Sweetie you know we can't cancel."

Billy sighs. "Okay..."

Zack almost jumps in surprise when the mother notices him. She straightens up and directs a smile at him. "Hello."

Zack nods. "What's up?"

She makes a face, but it doesn't look offended. "Nothing much." She looks around. "How about you? 'Not going home anytime soon?"

"Oh. I will. My mom will pick me up. She just takes a while." He grins, proud. "She has two jobs."

The woman's face softens in that way adults always do when Zack says that. He doesn't understand. He thinks it's pretty cool, even though he gets left alone a lot because of it. That makes his mom better than adults who only have one job, right?

"Why don't I drop you off at your place instead?" she says. "So we don't have to bother your mom and you get to come home early?"

Zack shakes his head. "My mom said not to get into stranger's vans. No matter how nice they talk to you."

The woman turns to look back at her car for a moment before she laughs. "That _is_ sound advice." 

"Mom..." Billy calls out from where he's standing by the passenger's side of their car. "We're going to be late."

"Okay, just give us a second, Billy," she says. She turns back to Zack. "How about this?" She points at his bag on the floor. "You got a pen and paper in there?" He nods and quickly retrieves them for her. "Lovely."

"What's that for?"

"My peace of mind," she says as she writes. She folds it and hands it to him. "Call me on this number when you're home safe so I don't worry, okay?"

"Uh, sure." He looks at the name neatly written on it. 

_Candace Cranston._

Oh. So he got Billy's name wrong. 

He grins up at her. "Have a safe drive Mrs. Cranston."

She smiles sweetly at him before driving off with her son. Just in time, too. A wide grin stretches Zack's lips when he sees Mei Taylor crossing the street to Angel Grove Middle School. He meets her half-way and tackles his mother with a hug.

"Hi," he greets her. 

She ruffles his hair. "Did you wait long?" she asks.

"Yeah, but I had fun. I met a schoolmate's mom today. She was nice."

Mei protectively drapes an arm around Zack's shoulders as they cross the street. "Really?"

"She offered to give me a ride but I told her that I'm not supposed to accept rides from strangers."

"Mmm, smart boy."

"I get it from my mom."

Mei smiles wryly. "Why so nice today? Did you do something this time?"

Zack turns sheepish. "I may have failed my math test. I guess I'm _not_ all that smart."

"In _Math_ ," she makes sure to point out. Zack relaxes. "You get that from me, too. Don't worry. You're good at other things. Like..." she snaps her fingers once. "Dancing."

"Oh yeah!" Zack digs through his bag. He pulls out a flyer and Mei's brows rise with interest when he hands it to her. "My first school dance!"

"Ooh... And who is my little man planning to take?"

"You." When he sees his mother's smile fade away, he turns shy. "If... If that's okay?"

"Oh, Zack." Mei stops walking in favor of embracing her son. When she pulls away, she gives him a worried look that a child like Zack can't yet understand nor think to question. "Are you sure about that? Don't you want to ask a pretty classmate to come with you?"

"Not really," he says with a shrug. "The pretty girls are mean."

He thought Kimberly Hart was pretty cute until she started hanging out with girls like Amanda Clark. They use words his mother hates.

"And I like dancing with you," he adds. 

Mei smiles again, this time softer. "I like dancing with you, too." She blinks quickly, looks down and wipes at her eyes. "Okay." She spreads out the flyer so she can read it. "Let's see when this dance is so I know when I should take a leave off work."

<> <> <> <> <>

Mei is outside the trailer, a stick of cigarette in her hand as she talks on the phone with her co-worker, Janice. Zack likes Janice. She has pretty blonde hair and warm brown eyes. She and Mei always hung out when they're not working. Janice doesn't dismiss Zack or treat him like an annoying kid. Zack wants to get out and talk to her, too. Janice is funny. 

But Zack doesn't like the cigarettes. He doesn't like the way the smoke invades his nostrils and lungs. Mei never smokes anywhere near enough where the plumes can reach Zack, anyway. She says it's bad for kids but good for her stress. 

So Zack sits there, watching through the window and waiting for the flame in the stick to die out. He looks down at the slip of paper Candace gave him. He hasn't called her yet. 

He goes to their landline and dials the Cranston family's home number. No one answers. They must still be at that "appointment" or whatever. He waits for the beep before leaving a message. 

_"Hey, Mrs. Cranston. This is Zack Taylor, Billy's schoolmate. I got home okay with my mom. Thanks again for the offer. I really did appreciate it. You're really nice. Maybe you should be friends with my mom so she could let me ride with you next time. Could be fun."_

Zack has never left a message before. He doesn't know how stuff like these are supposed to end. So after an awkward beat he adds, _"Say hi to Billy for me."_

<> <> <> <>

Mei said cigarettes were good for stress, but it seems they aren't all that good for the body. The lungs specifically. 

You know how, some things happen often enough that you don't worry about it? Well, Mei would always cough and end up fine, so Zack never thought it was anything strange.. 

He really should've known better.

He didn't think consistent coughing fits were anything serious. It was just coughing. But he did draw the line when Mei one day found it difficult to breathe.

His mom gets diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or just COPD. There's no cure and they say it could kill his mother if she isn't properly taken care of. She can stay home but for the first few days, they have her stay in the hospital just in case.

He doesn't get to go to the dance.

"I'm so sorry," Mei says. "You should be out there, not in here with me."

Zack frowns. "Of course, I'm here." He tries to smile. "You're my date." Tears fall down his mother's cheeks, so he stands, panicking. "W-What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Mei shakes her head. She gestures at the I.V. needle stuck to her arm. "I can't even dance right now, honey."

"That's okay. I found something else we can do." He pulls out a battered chess board. Janice said he'd need to keep himself entertained if he wanted to stay in the hospital with his mom. They don't have any gadgets, and he can't goof around in a place filled with sick people. "Janice gave me this before she left. I don't know how to play it, but she said you're pretty good. You can teach me."

He carefully places it on the bed beside her mother. Mei runs her fingers against its surface with a soft smile before she cups Zack's face. She's still crying. Zack wishes he knew how to make it stop.

"How are you so strong?" she asks.

Zack shrugs before sniffing. He's crying, too. How could he not? "I got it from my mom."

Mei uses the hand cupping his cheek to pull him in for a tender kiss on the forehead. "And I get my strength from you."

That was their first game.

<> <> <> <>

Zack loves his mother, but sometimes he just needs a break from it all. From the pill bottles, and the coughing fits, and the depressing atmosphere that has taken over their home ever since. It probably doesn't help that even after three years of playing chess, he still hasn't beaten Mei.

He goes to the mountains, tells himself his mother is the one who is sick. He shouldn't be the one having break downs, at least not in front of her. He'll be fine after a few hours. Just a moment to let himself fall apart without anyone seeing before he gets his shit together again. Then he'll go home and have her medicine and food ready on a tray. Maybe play another game for him to lose.

For now he's sitting on top of an abandoned train car, a pair of binoculars he scavenged in his hand. There's been a crazy girl meditating(?) at the cliff just opposite Zack's spot. 

Watching her shift from one position to another was pretty entertaining. He'd sometimes copy her. He's pretty sure she's seen him, too. Just the other day she flipped her middle finger at him. Zack doesn't think it was a yoga position, but he returned it with a shit eating grin even though she wouldn't see with the distance between them. She must not mind his presence, since she always comes back to the same spot. 

He's using the binoculars to check whether the crazy girl is on her way when he spots two figures. One of them is Billy Cranston. Not really a strange sight. He's seen him here before. What made him pause is -

"Jason Scott?" He whistles. "Now _that's_ weird." 

He puts the binoculars away and leans back on the metal surface of the train car. He would sometimes spot Kimberly Hart, too, but he always avoided her. Cheerleaders are really more trouble than they're worth. The crazy girl has become a regular in the mines. Now Billy Cranston has somehow convinced Jason Scott to hang out here with him. 

"This place is starting to get crowded," he says to no one in particular. 

He doesn't mind. It makes him feel less lonely, if anything.

<> <> <> <>

What he _does_ mind is Billy Cranston blowing up fucking mountain faces. Zack may be an adrenaline junky but explosives are something else.

He's running away from mine security when he spots a familiar van. He laughs. Guess he'll finally get a ride from the Cranston family's car. It only occurs to him that jumping to the roof of a moving vehicle is a _terrible_ idea after he's already done it.

It's fine. He stuck the landing. What's not fine is the Zack-shaped dent he left on the roof. He'll have to apologize for that.

<> <> <> <>

Bad news: the van, with them inside it, gets hit by a train.

Good news: they all survive, somehow, with some super powers to take home with them.

Oh, and the dent on the roof won't be all that noticable since the van got trashed. Yey.

<> <> <> <>

"Ow fuck!"

Zack winces at the bruise on his shoulder. He stretched it out too far when he opened the trailer's door. He drops his bag on the floor and peels off his drenched shirt to replace it with a dry one. 

"Zack, what happened?"

Zack blinks owlishly at Mei. "Oh, Mom! I thought you were asleep."

She's sitting on their beat up couch, a late night show on the television. She gingerly stands up and slowly approaches her son. "You look terrible." She cups his cheek and brushes her thumb on a cut that Trini punched into his lip. "What happened to you?"

"Ah, it's nothing, Mom. It was just Tri-" he catches himself, realizing that he almost said that a girl he kind of hangs out with punched him in the face.

Mei's brows scrunch in confusion. "Tri...?"

"Tree! I tripped and slammed against a tree. It was really short but surprisingly sturdy."

"Why are you soaked, then?"

"Rolled into a lake after hitting the tree."

Mei's eyes narrow but leaves Zack's side to sit on one of the chairs in their kitchen-slash-dining area. "Okay. I'm still suspicious but I trust you're not up to anything bad."

He grins cheekily at her as he fetches a towel to dry himself with. "Of course, of course."

"You've been coming home later than usual recently." The tone wasn't accusing. She didn't sound like she was about to discipline Zack, either. Mei has never been that kind of woman. Even before she got sick, others would say she was too lax when it came to her son.

Zack just preferred to think that his mother had faith in him. 

Zack buys some time by drying his hair before coming up with an answer. He doesn't really like lying to her, but Zordon was adamant about keeping the ranger thing a secret.

When his hair is dry enough, he drapes the towel over his shoulders and sits opposite her. A little bit of lie sprinkled with truths shouldn't hurt.

"I was hanging out with some friends."

Interest and joy colors Mei's face. It was nice. It's been a while since Zack had seen his mother look so... alive. 

"Friends? Really? What are they like?"

Zack hums in thought. "Well, there's Jason. He loves to pretend that he's the-" he makes air quotes with his fingers- " _responsible one_ , but I'm pretty sure he's just too scared to have fun again. Kimberly was pretty intimidating at first, but she's actually a lot of fun. She's the only who actually goes along with my games and challenges. But I think that's mostly 'cause she wants to show off to Trini." He laughs. "And Trini, she pretends to hate our guts but I know she secretly loves us."

Mei gives him a sceptical look, but it's still playful. "How are you so sure?"

"That crazy girl loves us, I know so! Or at least, she probably hates the fact that she likes us."

Mei coughs into her hand. She raises a hand to tell Zack she's fine and to wait until it passes. When it does, she rasps out a laugh. "They sound wonderful."

"Yeah, they are." He's still eyeing her warily, but he puts back on his smile for Mei's benefit. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention Billy!" Not that it _really_ matters, but something about leaving anyone out makes him feel bad. "That dude's unreal, Mom. He's really smart. Like _genius_ smart."

Mei rests her chin on her hand. Her eyes are getting droopy. "Mmm, maybe he can help you study? Not that you _need_ high grades. I just know how much Math frustrates you."

Zack forces out a chuckle. "Yeah, yeah. Great idea."

If he still went to school.

"I'm guessing they're the reason why you've been the way you are recently."

Zack becomes very aware of the bruises on his body. "And, uh, what is that?"

"Happy."

"Oh." He blinks. "I am? I mean..." A shrug. "I guess I am."

Mei takes one of his calloused hands in both of her own. "I always knew that you had a big heart, Zack. You have so much love to give. I just found it sad that... you only had me to give it to."

Zack isn't blinking out of confusion now. He doesn't like showing weakness in front of his mom. Her strength gets drained every single day she fights to stay alive. He has to stay strong for the both of them. "I don't really mind. I like taking care of you. It makes me feel like I'm good at something."

"You are. You're a caretaker, a protector. You're an amazing son. And I... I do my best to do the same for you, but we both know that I'm not in the best condition to-" another coughing fit interrupts her. This time Zack moves to sit beside her instead and rub her back. When it ends, she says, "Find more people who can make you happy, okay? So that when I go-"

"Don't." He shakes his head. "Don't finish that. Please. You're going to be fine. For as long as we can help it. Okay?" He tries to smile. "Please, Mom?"

The fact that it took so long for her to nod breaks Zack's heart.

<> <> <> <>

_"When this all ends, are we Power Ranger or are we friends?"_

No one answers. Zack looks at each one of them. Billy still looks saddened by Trini's dismissal of his fist bump. Jason is staring at the bonfire with a clenched jaw. Kimberly has her eyes on Trini, an unreadable look on her face. Either Trini doesn't notice or ignores it.

Zack only speaks when he notices Trini wipe at an errant tear. "Trini-"

"I'm going home." She stands and just like that, her eyes are dry. "Family's leaving for my brothers' game tomorrow and I gotta be there to house sit."

Kimberly stands up, too. "I can give you a ride."

Trini observes her for a moment before nodding. "Sure." Her expression shifts to guilt when it lands on Billy. "Sorry."

Billy smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes like it usually does. "It's okay."

"Drive safe," Zack says just to ease the tension. He points at Kimberly. "Your driving scares even someone like me."

Kimberly rolls her eyes. "Quit the lie, Taylor. I've seen your train surfing videos."

"I'm scared for _Trini_."

"Screw you, home boy," Trini says as she walks away with Kimberly on her tail.

"'Love you, too!"

The sound of wood being thrown into the fire catches his attention. It was Jason, and he's standing, too. "I'm going, too. You guys need a ride?"

"I'm good," Zack replies. "And uh... sorry, by the way. What I did _was_ pretty stupid."

Jason crosses his arms but nods, like the dad-friend he is. "Just don't do that shit again."

"Duly noted, boss man," Zack says with a salute. 

Jason lets out a resigned sigh. He faces Billy who is still seated on a beat up lawn chair. "How about you?"

Billy's eyes quickly glance at Zack before he answers, "I want to stay a bit longer."

Jason seems more tired than usual. Zack expects him to ask for a reason, but he merely nods again before quietly walking away. 

When Jason is out of sight, Zack says, "So... just the two of us under the stars?" He makes his brows jump playfully. "Are you planning on romancing me, Billy?"

"No."

Zack laughs. "Yeah, I figured as much." 

Billy's the only that he can't get a _reaction_ from. He doesn't get annoyed like Jason or exasperated like Trini. He doesn't even play along like Kimberly does. He answers with honesty that Zack can't play with, which kind of upsets him, to be honest. Though, he isn't upset with _Billy_. 

He's upset with himself for not knowing how to deal with him. He's the kind of person who doesn't like to take himself seriously. Ever since his mother was diagnosed, he has used humor as a way to make things easier, lighter. He can't really cry if he's too busy laughing at either jokes or the thrill of successfully doing a stunt. 

But Billy can't understand humor. At least not the same way most people do. Therefore he can't understand _Zack_ , and the feeling is mutual. They have nothing in common, too.

But he doesn't shoo him away. Just because Zack doesn't get Billy doesn't mean he doesn't like his company. 

"Any reason you wanted to stay here with little ol' me?" Zack asks him.

Billy shrugs. "I like the mines. And I'm worried about you."

Zack takes a moment to make sure he heard that right. "You're worried. About _me_."

Billy nods. "You cried." Zack's eye twitches but he lets Billy continue speaking. "I may not be good at reading people, but I know to get worried when people cry. Trini cried, too, but Kimberly's with her. So I'm here for you."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Your mom's sick. You said so."

Zack sighs. "Yeah, she is. She's the one to worry about, not me. Sorry dude, I'm loving that we're finally _bonding_ here and all, but can we stop talking about this?"

"Okay. Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Yeah, I know. It's cool."

"Can we still talk? About something else?"

"Sure."

Billy pauses to think for a moment, before finally speaking, "Why do you keep telling Trini 'I love you' even though she looks like she hates it?"

Zack snorts. "Because she obviously secretly loves it. She loves us."

Billy tilts his head to the side, confused. "But how can you tell?"

"Well, for starters, she wouldn't have stayed here with us if she hated our guts."

Billy looks down at his hands. His fingers are playing with each other. Zack is oddly reminded of the first time they met. "Trini didn't bump my fist. I told her she had us, but she didn't even know if we were friends. Maybe she just doesn't like me?"

"Oh no. That's definitely not the case. Trini's just... actually aside from what she revealed today, I don't know much about what she's going through. But just know that the probem isn't you. She probably just can't believe that an awesome guy like you wants to be friends with her grumpy ass."

Billy smiles. It reaches his eyes this time and Zack counts that as an accomplishment. "You're pretty awesome, too."

Zack smirks. "I know." His eyes land on the space Trini left. "We _are_ friends. I should've said so, but I was too scared to say it in case I was wrong. But now I'm sure. I don't just trust anyone to have my back, you know?"

"Me, too." Billy's almost jumping in his seat out of excitement. "You're all my friends, too. If I could I'd cover all of your backs at the same time so none of you would get hurt." He stills for a moment. "A phrased that all weird."

Zack makes a humming sound. "Makes perfect sense to me." He holds out a fist. "Here." Billy only looks at his hand with confusion. "Since Trini left you hanging. Come on."

Zack has never seen someone look so excited for a fist bump.

<> <> <> <>

Billy _did_ have their back. Rita Repulsa was about to kill Zack but Billy gave up the source of all life on Earth to save him. Zack never doubted his sincerity, but he didn't really think he'd _die_ for them.

Then again, he should have expected that kind of devotion from someone like Billy. 

So he says as much. Tells them that Billy traded his life for theirs because he's just that kind of kid. He tells them he'd so the same. He doesn't believe how much his heart swells when the others tell him they feel the same way. 

Mei would be over-joyed if she knew. If she knew four kids cared so much about her son when he spent the remainder of his teenage years being the caretaker. 

_Four_ kids. Because Billy _came back_.

Thank god for Zordon.

<> <> <> <>

"I got this," he tells himself despite his screaming lungs that tell him otherwise.

But what do they know?

Kimberly's zord is on fire and the flames have spread to his Mastodon. There's smoke everywhere and it's attacking his lungs the same way it did his mother's.

He fucking hates smoke.

"I got this, I got this," he repeats as he pushes against Goldar with the other rangers.

He's losing consciousness. His vision is turning as black as his power coin.

"Zack!" Trini screams. The terror in her voice is almost enough to bring him back to consciousness. Almost. "Zack, stay with me!"

In any other time, he would have teased Trini for caring so much about him. But he just. Can't. Breathe.

"I'm really glad I met you guys."

That was Billy. That's the last thing he hears before he loses consciousness.

Then light creeps into his eyes and oxygen fills his lungs. Their zords have come together and he really wishes he can see from outside how badass they look.

Trini and Kimberly help them climb out of the wall and he and Billy help them stand. Jason calls the shots but he doesn't mind. 

He just wants to kick some golden ass.

<> <> <> <>

"Checkmate!"

Zack pouts at the board. It's a miracle that he still hasn't given up trying to win against Mei. But then she ruffles his hair and that was enough to put a smile on his face.

"You're getting better."

Zack gives her a skeptical look. "I lost again, Mom."

"It took you longer to lose than usual."

"True, true." 

Zack's phone vibrates then, his alarm alerting him that it's almost time to go to Billy's. They're meeting up, but for once not as teammates, and not at the ship. They're hanging out, like normal teenagers. Like _friends_. The smile on his face almost hurts his cheeks but he doesn't mind. 

"Gotta go."

"You're going to Billy Cranston's house, right?" When Zack reaches for the chess pieces to put the game away, Mei lightly slaps his hand. "Uh-uh. I'll take care of this. You go to your friends."

Zack laughs. "Wow, so excited to shoo me away when you spent the last couple of days practically locking me in the house?"

"That's because I was worried monsters would come back. But I'm not worried now." She pulls Zack's head down for a kiss on the forehead. "I'm not worried anymore."

Zack gives her a questioning look, but she only shoos him away again. He rides his bike and follows the direction Billy gave them. He laughs at how coincidental it is that Jason, Trini, and Kimberly are already at the front porch when he arrives.

"Wow, guys," he drawls out when he parks the bike. "I know Zordon said we were all connected but I didn't think we were _that_ in sync."

Kimberly smirks. "Nice bike."

Zack looks down at his old _pink_ bike. "Eh. It's a hand-me-down. Had it since before I became friends with you, Kimmy, so don't think I painted it pink for you."

"Awe, break my heart, why don't ya."

"Why didn't you just paint it black or something?" Jason asks.

"What?" Zack shrugs "I like it the way it is."

Trini sighs. "If you guys are done talking about Zack's bike, ya'll might wanna know that Mrs. Cranston is watching us from the door's window thingy."

The three of them turn to the door, and sure enough, Candace Cranston has pulled up the curtain to watch them. She gives them a bright smile before waving an enthusiastic hand like Billy always does. They all return the gesture, synchronised.

"Sorry for just, well, watching," Candace says when she opens the door. "I didn't know when I was supposed to interrupt and ask why you were in front of my house. It _is_ nice to see you here again, Jason."

The three of them smirk as they watch their fearless leader turn shy at the attention. "Thank you, Ma'am." Kimberly elbows him and he realizes that that's probably his cue to introduce them. "This is Kimberly, Trini, and Zack. We actually came here to hang out with Billy. If that's okay."

"Of course, of course! It's more than fine, come in!" 

They all exchange amused looks at Candace's excitement as she ushers them inside.

"Billy's talked about all of you, actually," Candace says. "And I've already met Zack before, I believe."

Kimberly quirks a brow. "Really?"

Candace nods. "Uh-hm. Three years ago, right? You were still so young then, but now you've grown into such a charming young man."

Zack can _feel_ more than see the other three roll their eyes. But he ignores them and bats his eyes. "Well, I am very flattered, ma'am, especially since it came from someone as beautiful as you." 

"Oh god," Jason says under his breath.

"Do you literally flirt with anything that breathes?" Kimberly hisses.

"Remind me to never let you meet my mom," Trini says. Then she adds after a moment, " _And_ my dad."

To her credit, Candace takes it all in stride. "It's all right. And _please_ Zack. I'm not interested in jailbait."

Jason and Kimberly laugh but Trini _cackles_.

"Billy!" Candace calls out and all four of them jump. "Jason Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, and a girl named Didi are here for you!"

Jason, Zack, and Kimberly are all wisely holding their laughter with shaking shoulders. Trini is muttering "Where the hell do people even get 'Didi'?" under her breath.

"Okay!" Billy shouts back from somewhere in the house. "And her name is _Trini_ , Mom!"

"Oh!" Candace's hand shoots up to cover mouth. She tells Trini, "I'm so sorry."

Trini just shrugs it off. "It's okay."

"Well, Billy's in the basement," Candace says. "He's probably working on something but you can just go down there yourself. Jason can show you the way, right?"

Jason nods and gestures for them to follow him. Zack lets himself fall behind when he sees Candace make a beeline for the kitchen. He leaves the other three and follows Candace instead. Just like he suspected, she's preparing glasses of juice and snacks for them.

"Need some help?"

That makes Candace notice him. "Oh, you don't have to. Just go have fun with your friends." She takes a moment to reconsider that. Then she carefully asks, "You _are_ Billy's friends, right?"

Zack laughs. "Yeah, what else would we be?"

"Oh." Candace laughs, too, and continues pouring juice into glasses. "Of course, of course. I knew you were a nice boy when I first met. I'm happy you're now friends with Billy, too."

Zack takes that chance to take the pitcher while Candace makes sandwiches. "I'm actually surprised you still remember me."

"It was a pretty memorable day." Candace face softens. "It was the day Billy was diagnosed."

"Oh."

"I didn't know how to feel at first. It's not like my son changed when I heard the news. If anything, things made more sense. There are things I still don't understand about him, but that's fine." Candace sighs. "I just think more people feel the same way."

"We do," Zack says and that makes Candace smile. "Every one's a little different and that's what's normal." His eyes land on the stairs leading to the basement, where Billy and the others are waiting. "Your son is one of the best people I know."

Candace almost looks like she wants to cry. "Thank you. You're such a sweet boy. Your parents must be incredibly lucky."

"Just my mom, actually. But I sure hope so." 

He carries the tray full of five glasses with skilled balance he got from the countless times he's done it for his mother. But there are no pill bottles this time. Just juice for his friends. 

"Thank you again, for the help," Candace says.

"It's okay," Zack shrugs. "I'm used to doing stuff like this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter Meindace finally starts and more Zack&Billy brotherly shenannigans. its gonna be cute. hopefully
> 
> tell me what u think!


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